Viva la Vida
by fantastic plausibilities
Summary: And you thought that clever fade to black at the end of the movie meant Tony Stark was out of the woods? Not a chance. Watch our favorite playboy/ superhero deal with a new villian and a new relationship -with someone not so new. Movieverse.
1. one

**Viva la Vida**

**A/n: The story isn't based on the song, but I highly recommend listening to "Viva la Vida" by Coldplay. It reminded me of Iron Man. Anyways, this takes place after the movie. This is my first foray outside of X-Files fanfic, so I hope you all like it. It starts off as more of a romance, but the action comes later. I promise. :)**

It was late evening in Malibu, California and Pepper Potts still had her usual late afternoon migraine. She could feel the blood racing through her veins and making her head throb hugely. As she entered Tony's house for the first time after the press conference, her mind raced, her head screamed at her and her heels tipped a bit on the cold marble floor. Pepper sat down her files on a nearby table, calling out Mr. Stark's name and resisting the huge urge to toe off her stilettos.

"Tony?" she called (Pepper Potts never yelled, she called) but there was no answer. Pepper sighed, rubbing her temples and making her way down to the shop. Remnants of Tony's pristine suit littered the steps; she picked up the wrinkled jacket, the crumpled tie and each of his dress shoes with another familiar sigh. As she punched in the passcode to enter Tony's sanctuary, she began to chuckle at the sight before her. Tony was seated in the middle of his floor, his sleeves rolled up, his hair mussed boyishly and scraps and tools surrounding him in every spare area.

"Hey, Pepper," he said tightly while gripping a tool in his mouth as he screwed a metal piece that appeared to be important onto one of his robots. "It's nine. Where have you been?" Pepper sat neatly on the chair at his work table.

"Doing damage control," she replied evenly, her fingers reaching up aimlessly and toying with a loose lock of hair. "The military isn't exactly cheerful about your little announcement, but you've been contacted by People, Us Weekly, Rolling Stone, and Men's Health for cover appearances. There are even talks to make you into a comic book character." She glanced quickly at Tony, who was still fiddling with his robot. "What are you doing?"

"Installing heat sensors on my fire extinguisher," he said in a grumbling fashion, turning to speak directly to the robot. "Now, if you blow that white crap at me again and I'm not on fire, it's your own damn fault you're going to the junkyard," he finished, dropping his tools. Tony sighed and looked up at Pepper searchingly. She blushed. "What do you like better, Chinese or Italian?" He stood, forging a path through his tools by kicking them out of his way.

"What?"

"Chinese or Italian? I mean, if I'm going to take you to dinner, I might as well impress you further with food you'll actually enjoy," Tony continued, picking tools off of the floor and putting them back on the table. "Why am I doing this?" he suddenly muttered. "Could someone get this, please?" he shouted and two robotic arms began clearing up his tools.

"When did I ever agree to going out to dinner with you?" Pepper sputtered.

"Do you enjoy your job? Would you like to keep it?" Tony smiled widely and reached for his wallet. "Here," he said, tossing a slim silver credit card at her. "Buy yourself something nice. Maybe some of those high shoes you like to wear."

"You didn't need to give that to me. I already have all of your credit card information," she replied in a lame attempt at a comeback.

"It's a gesture, Miss Potts," Tony countered, leaning down until he was mere inches from her face. "Listen, I'm not actually going to fire you. I know you want to go to dinner with me which is why I didn't bother to ask."

"And how do you know that, Mr. Stark?" Pepper trilled, smiling and raising an eyebrow. If he was going to insist, she might as well have fun with it.

"My little secret." He pulled back suddenly. "Jarvis, ready for your update?" Tony walked away and Pepper let out the breath she didn't know she had been holding.

"I'm positively thrilled, Mr. Stark," Jarvis replied smoothly, offering the robotic version of dead pan humor. Pepper stood.

"When?"

"Tomorrow night. Eight. Pencil that in for me, will you, ever helpful assistant?" he said, grinning cockily and punching buttons on his computer monitor.

"Of course." She collected herself in the doorway. "Will that be all, Mr. Stark?" Tony turned to her and raised an eyebrow. Her façade broke. She smiled that sweet, pursed-lips, I-can't-help-myself grin and relented. "Italian."

"And that will be all, Miss Potts." He turned and slid a disk into his large computer. Pepper walked out of the room, her heels clicking out a familiar rhythm.

**Another A/n: Writing for new fandoms always makes me nervous. It feels like I'm crashing a party without even bothering to bring the good liquor, just a cheap party tray of vegetables or something. Hope you all enjoyed.**


	2. two

**A/n: So I'm beginning this chapter with an…interlude. It will be important later, once we get past all of the romance. :) And I stole a line from the Twilight books by Stephenie Meyer in this chapter. See if you can catch it.**

The small college dorm room was quiet for the first time in a long time. Only a desk lamp upon an expensive looking desk lit the room. Awards, commendations, and a freshly minted MIT diploma littered the cherry wood. The name on the diploma was fuzzy. A man sat in the chair that accompanied the desk. He picked up the diploma.

"I'm almost there. Almost there." He put the diploma down. "Just wait." His voice was smooth and childish. "I'm coming for you, Tony Stark."

**IM**

In her years of working for Tony Stark, Pepper had become accustomed to seeing the sunrise through the large windows in the mansion's living room. This viewing usually came from her natural inclination to rise early and watch the sunrise, but sometimes it came from working through the night, organizing and planning until her eyes were almost glued shut from staring at a computer screen for so long.

Needless to say, this was not one of those mornings.

Pepper did not awake the morning after the press conference at her usual early hour. Shockingly, she didn't work through the night, either. Pepper Potts awoke in her suite at the Stark mansion at ten in the morning. She blinked slowly, wondering if the sun already streaming though her windows was a dream. She sat up, ran a hand through her (messy) hair and called out to Jarvis.

"Jarvis, what time is it?"

"Ten oh seven in the morning, Miss Potts. Hold on one moment. I was told to notify Mr. Stark when you awoke." Pepper's eyebrows rose at hearing the time, and she leapt out of bed, suddenly filled with annoyance.

"Don't worry about it, Jarvis.** I'll** go _notify _Mr. Stark," she said, wrapping a sheet around herself (Tony always set the air conditioner cold) and leaving the room. Pepper didn't make it to the hallway before she realized she was missing something. She walked back calmly into the room, sweeping the room with her eyes thoroughly. "Where is my Blackberry?"

**IM**

"How _dare_ you think you can go into my room in the middle of the night and turn off my alarm!" Pepper tried to look formidable as she stood in the shop doorway. Tony glanced up for a moment from his computer screen and went back to his work.

"Your hair looks like a haystack."

"And my Blackberry! Where is it?" Pepper walked over to Tony and rifled through the things on his desk.

"I like it."

"Tony. I have work to do. Lots of work, in fact, and most of it is your fault," Pepper said firmly and put her hands on her hips.

"You do not have any work, Miss Potts. I've assigned Jarvis to answer all of your business phone calls using his voice recall software. Callers he doesn't recognize get forwarded to my phone," Tony said smoothly, still fiddling on his computer. "But the alarm was me. I must admit, for a fairly tame person, you sure do get tangled in the covers." He grinned devilishly. Pepper blushed.

"So," she began, her former anger dampened a bit, "what am I supposed to do today if I have no work?"

"Go shopping. Paint your fingernails. Put cucumbers on your eyes and take a bubble bath. I don't care what the hell you do, but you deserve a day off. Especially when I've most likely created a firestorm of new work for you later with the admission that I am indeed a metal suit wearing superhero."

"You're right."

"I usually am," Tony said. "Jarvis, how is the system upgrade working out?"

"Swimmingly, sir, but I'll personally feel much better when you've installed hacker and virus protection," Jarvis replied.

"You have nothing to worry about, my friend. Hey, Pepper," Tony called out, catching her as she left the room. "Call me if you end up taking that bubble bath. I might have to join you."

"Ah, Mr. Stark, I can't call you. I have no phone," Pepper said with an air of mock sincerity. She smiled and began walking out of the room to the stairs.

"Smart ass."

**IM**

Tony Stark didn't often acknowledge it outside of his private thoughts, but Pepper really did have an astonishingly hard job. Not only did she have to deal with an arrogant, charming, unpredictable boss who enjoyed playing with guns in a metal suit on the other side of the world, she also had to organize said boss' schedule. Which was harder than it seemed. Between the calls he and Jarvis answered, Tony had managed to insult many people and get a small amount of business done. Tony had just sat the phone down for a nice round of Guitar Hero 3 (his newest toy) when it rang again. Resisting the urge to smash Pepper's prized silver Blackberry against a hard surface, he answered it.

"This is Tony Stark." Tony heard a small, sharp intake of breath.

"Oh, goodness. Oh, my. I can't believe I'm talking to the actual Tony Stark. I'm flattered that you answered the phone, sir." The caller was a man.

"Yep, its me. What do you need?" Tony replied bluntly.

"Well, sir, I was wondering if you were looking for a new computer interface. I know in the past you have relied on your own technological advances for your computers but I've actually developed a new-"

"I still do my own programming. Sorry."

"Well, sir, if I could just persuade you- I mean, sir, uh, it would really be in your best interests for you to listen-"

"I'm sorry. Look, I'll call you if I ever have trouble or something," Tony said lamely, trying to hold the phone to his ear as he strummed a particuraly difficult chord on his plastic guitar. He hung up without listening to the caller's reply.

**A/n: The plot thickens! Will Pepper get another backless dress? Will Tony win his Guitar Hero game without getting any more phone calls from weird computer salesmen? Will Pepper sing karaoke while they are out at dinner? All these questions and more will be answered in the next installment. Speaking of karaoke, anyone have any ideas of what Pepper should sing? Also, on a more personal note, will anyone reading be at A Kon 19 in Dallas? I'm going. And I know nothing about...what its about. I'm going because my best friend is dragging me. :) I've actually read a bit of anime. But seriously-- is Iron Man going to be featured at all? Because it's a comic...right? I sound/feel so stupid right now. I'm ending this before I make such an utter fool of myself you never want to set your eyes upon my story again.**


	3. three

A/n: Alright. Back to the romance. ;) Also, in case you don't know, the game 'Never have I ever' is a game where one person says "Never have I ever…(fill in the blank)" and if the other person has done it, they put down a finger. The object of the game is to be the last to have all ten fingers remaining. Tony and Pepper play it, with…interesting results. All songs used belong to their respective artists…not me. Lyrics (besides the ones they sing) are in italics.

Pepper arrived back at the Stark mansion at five feeling refreshed, beautified and ready for what ever…surprises the night would entail. Knowing Tony, she knew not to expect the simple or subtle. Pepper carried her shopping bags (a long white garment bag and a black bag that carried a new pair of stunning black stilettos) up to her room without a peep from Tony or Jarvis. This scared her.

"Jarvis, you there? Where's Tony?" she inquired.

"Oh, hello, Miss Potts," Jarvis replied, his crisp voice unusually rushed. "Tony and I have been working on a project this afternoon. So sorry to not have greeted you sooner."

"Don't let her in, Jarvis!" Pepper heard Tony's voice call. She rolled her eyes.

"Tony," she called, "what exactly are you doing?" She paused. "Aren't you supposed to be taking me out tonight?" Not that she minded if he forgot… oh, who was she kidding. Some small, far off part of her was looking forward to it. At least, she told herself it was a small far off part.

"I am, Pep, I'm just working. I'm busy. Don't bother me," he yelled back gruffly. Pepper sat down on the edge of her bed feeling unnaturally rejected. She didn't keep that feeling for long, however. Sweet revenge for the alarm and phone prank that morning was coming in the form of one brand spanking new knockout dress.

It didn't have a back either.

**IM**

Tony sat in the middle of the floor of his former dining room (former because it now held one small table with two chairs), dressed in a suit and looking extremely out of place. He cradled one of his laptops in his lap and was furiously pecking away, not even noticing as the clock ticked past six…seven…eight….

"Tony!" His head jerked up at the calling of his name. "It's eight. Please don't tell me I bought another ridiculous dress just to get ditched again."

"Hold on, I'll be right there," he shouted, making some final clicks and pushing the laptop off of his lap. "Are we good to go, Jarvis?"

"Ready as ever, Mr. Stark. I'm sure Miss Potts will love it."

"I think that's what I'm going for," Tony muttered under his breath, running a hand through his hair.

"Might I remind you, sir, you've forgotten to update my security preferences since my update."

"I've been a little busy," Tony growled. "I'll be back. Prepare for launch." Tony bounded down the stairs to see Pepper standing in the center of his foyer dressed in- _god_- another dress that made her appear completely unlike the usual Pepper Potts who wore pressed business suits and neat heels and a tame smile. Her upper body was mostly bare, another backless dress to add to her growing collection. The emerald green panels of fabric gracefully covered her chest and torso as they headed for her knees, where the dress stopped. Patent black stilettos punctuated the outfit, making her at least three inches taller. Her hair was down and curled once more.

"Pepper."

"So you aren't ditching me," she said in a slightly nervous voice. "You look nice."

"You look fabulous," Tony remarked in a low voice, circling her as a lion circles his prey. Pepper blushed deeply.

"Do you not recognize me again?" she said, her voice prideful that her dress had done its job.

"No, I recognize you." Tony paused and Pepper waited for an explanation. "I mean, the dress on its own is hot, but with it being you in the dress…" –he trailed for a moment-"…it's much better." Another shade of pink covered Pepper's skin.

"Are we going? We're late as it is," Pepper said, trying to divert some of the attention off of herself.

"Ahh, Miss Potts, that is where your surprise lies," Tony replied, a boyish grin overtaking his face. "Cover your eyes." Tony instead did the job for her, covering her eyes (and most of her face) with his large hands.

"What are you doing? You know I hate surprises, _**Mister**_ Stark," Pepper grumbled.

"I promise, you'll like this one," Tony replied indulgently. "Be careful on the stairs." The duo managed to make it up the stairs without incident. When they reached the landing, Tony called out to Jarvis.

"Launch program, Jarvis." Pepper heard a tinkling noise, as it someone was running past a wind chime, and then Tony took his hands away. The dining room had been transformed- could Jarvis really **do** that?- into an intimate looking restaurant with deep red walls and low lighting.

"Rhodey called. He said not to leave the house after my little announcement, so I brought the restaurant here," Tony said. His voice sounded more eager than when he had first flown. Pepper noticed.

"It looks wonderful," Pepper breathed, touching the walls experimentally. They faded where her hands touched, then formed again when she pulled her fingertips away. "How did you do it?" She looked at Tony. He was taken aback—Pepper glowed in her happiness, cheered up by the wonder of her new environment.

"The mechanics would spoil the mood, Miss Potts," he said, putting a hand at the small of her back and leading her to the table. He pulled out her chair and Pepper had to hold back a laugh. Tony was trying very, very hard.

"Why, thank you, Mr. Stark," she trilled and sat down, smiling. Tony nearly sprinted to his chair opposite her and sat down.

"Jarvis," he barked, "animate yourself and bring us food."

"As you wish, sir," Jarvis replied, and suddenly the incarnation of Jarvis in human form was in the room holding two steaming plates of spaghetti. He wore a black butler's suit and looked quite British, just like Pepper had imagined. He sat the plates down wordlessly and left again.

"Impressive," Pepper noted. She took her eyes off of the food and looked at Tony. "Well…what do we do now?"

**IM**

The plates were whisked away by Jarvis when he decided that the night had descended so far into frivolity that Tony and Pepper would never finish their food. Pepper's cheeks were pink from drinking wine and she laughed more raucously than she ever remembered doing as Tony put down another finger.

"How are you doing this well, Pep? I mean, I've got six fingers down already and we've barely started!"

"I suppose 'Never have I ever' just isn't your game," she replied, still giggling as she took another sip of wine. "Alright, it's your turn. Give me your best shot."

"Okay. Never have I ever…made out with a man," Tony said, smirking as Pepper scowled, putting down her second finger.

"Cheap shot."

"Come on, you can just do the opposite. I mean, I've made out with many, many women. There's no way I could keep my finger up for that one." There was a long silence. Pepper rolled her eyes and blushed. Suddenly, Tony caught on. "Pepper!" he laughed. "When did you make out with a girl and why didn't you let me watch?"

"I was in college," she moaned. "And I'm fairly certain I was drunk." Tony kept laughing. "Fine. Never have I ever owned a plane full of stripping flight attendants and a stripper pole that comes up out of the floor."

"Hey, I make them keep their clothes on now," he said, putting down his seventh finger. "Never have I ever had my fingers drenched in inorganic plasmic discharge."

"Entirely your fault, I must add," Pepper remarked. Her third finger went down. "Never have I ever….sang at a karaoke bar."

"Seriously? You've kissed a woman but you've never sang karaoke? You haven't _lived_, Potts."

"I have never sung karaoke," Pepper affirmed. "Put your finger down and go on with the game."

"No _**way**_," Tony replied, standing up. "Jarvis, can you invade my laptop and turn it into a karaoke machine for Pepper?"

"Tony, no." Pepper stood up, trying to be firm. Tony raised an eyebrow.

"You called me Tony," he murmured. "That's kind of hot." The next second he was out of the room, running down the stairs in the direction of his shop.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting you a microphone!" Pepper sighed deeply and drank the rest of her wine. She was inevitably going to need it. Tony's loud footsteps soon came back up the stairs.

"Here," he said proudly, holding out a dusty microphone to Pepper.

"I said no."

"I say yes." He held out his other hand to lift her out of her chair. Pepper folded her arms. "Please. Pretty please. Indulge me."

"When have I ever not indulged you?" Pepper said under her breath as she relented and took Tony's hand. He pressed the mike into her hand and pushed her to the unused corner of the room. Tony then ran back to his computer and hit a few buttons. The opening notes of "4 Minutes" by Madonna rang through the speakers.

"Oh, my god," Pepper breathed. "I'm such a bad singer. Please don't make me do this."

"Do it for me. I promise I won't make too much fun of you," Tony grinned. "Hurry up! You're missing the beginning of the song."

"I don't know the words."

"I'm sure the computer does." Pepper cursed silently as Tony pulled up the lyrics. "Now go! You're just in time for the chorus."

"You love to torture me, don't you?" Pepper inquired.

"Among other things."

"Hah!" Pepper rejoiced. "This is a **duet**. You have to sing with me."

"Um, no. I'm not the karaoke virgin here."

"I'm not singing then." Pepper folded her arms, satisified.

"Fine." Tony stood up and walked up towards Pepper. "But you start."

"Time is waitinggggg," Pepper crooned tonelessly, passing the mike to Tony.

"We've only got four minutes to save the world!" Tony squeaked, trying to sound like Justin Timberlake and failing.

"No hesitatinggggg. Grab a boy-"

"-and grab a girl!" Tony finished, doing exactly what the song told him to and grasping Pepper around the waist with the arm that wasn't sharing the microphone. Pepper's eyes widedned but she kept singing.

"Time is waitingggggg."

"We've only got four minutes to save the world!" They were standing incredibly close to one another.

"No hesitating." Pepper hesitated, realizing that her nose was mere centimeters from Tony's. She sucked in a breath. Tony was staring into her eyes and it was a rather disconcerting experience.

"Jarvis, can we have some mood music, please," he shouted, turning his head and taking the mike from Pepper. He threw it onto the table and led Pepper onto an imaginary dance floor as "Gravity" by John Mayer flowed through the speakers. "Care to dance, Miss Potts."

"You know how much I dislike dancing, Mr. Stark. Not that my dislike has ever stopped you."

"It's just you and me now. No one else." His voice was husky and persuasive. Pepper gave in.

_Gravity is working against me  
And gravity wants to bring me down_

They slid into a comfortable embrace. "Did you really hate karaoke that much?" Tony inquired as he touched her back. His fingertips flamed.

"It was….a decent experience. But I hate being the center of attention," Pepper admitted. "You know that."

_Oh I'll never know  
What makes this man  
With all the love  
That his heart can stand  
Dream of ways  
To throw it all away_

"I suppose that's a position better relegated to me, huh?"

"Indeed," Pepper breathed.

"But I couldn't do it without you, you know," Tony continued. Pepper was silent.

_Oh Gravity  
Is working against me  
And gravity  
Wants to bring me down_

_Oh twice as much  
Ain't twice as good  
And can't sustain  
Like one half could  
It's wanting more  
It's gonna send me to my knees_

"Did you have an enjoyable time tonight, Miss Potts?" Tony inquired in a deeper than usual voice.

"I did, Mr. Stark," Pepper replied, enjoying the way their banter flowed easily off of her tongue.

"Would you ever consider doing it again? Albeit out in public, once Rhodey gets me off of this house arrest crap?"

_Oh twice as much  
Ain't twice as good  
And can't sustain  
Like one half could  
It's wanting more  
It's gonna send me to my knees_

_Oh gravity  
Stay the hell away from me  
Oh gravity  
Has taken better men than me  
Now how can that be?_

"Ah, but Mr. Stark, that suggests a rather…romantic overtone," Pepper said quietly.

"Is this not romantic enough for you?" he replied gruffly. Pepper found herself smiling where she usually would have rolled her eyes. "I mean, consider it logically, Pepper. Would it really be so bad if we went out on a date?" Tony's voice was disarmingly calm. "We could eat dinner, dance a little- which you are obviously well prepared for." He spun her out and then back in as Pepper remained quiet. "You could wear more dresses and I could clean up a bit too. We'd be the most beautiful couple in all of Malibu." Tony's voice was drifting into the realm of fantasy. "And if we ended up in bed together at the end of the night and your dress ends up slung over some lamp…so be it." He looked into Pepper's eyes. She raised an eyebrow, hoping to resort to her usual ways, but they didn't help. Tony was being too damn sincere. She sighed.

"That would be a nice thing to consider."

Tony chuckled and reached up to Pepper's neck, gently pressing her head down until it rested just below his shoulder. He tightened his arms around her as they swayed. Pepper grinned despite herself against Tony's chest. It would definitely be something to consider.

_Just keep me where the light is  
Just keep me where the light is  
Just keep me where the light is_

A/n: I made this chapter extra gooey and extra long because I'll be at A-Kon all this weekend. So…new chapter Monday or Tuesday. Thanks so much for all of your reviews! Your encouragement is my fuel. :D


End file.
